CLEVELAND, Ohio – At the conclusion of the spring sports season, the Milligan University Athletics Department has managed a 17th-place overall finish in the NAIA LEARFIELD Directors' Cup final standings.

Points for the LEARFIELD Directors' Cup Final Standings are based on an institution's finish at the NAIA National Championships for each respective sport. The top 13 team scores are counted toward the final standings, with men's basketball, men's soccer, women's basketball and women's volleyball being mandatory toward the count. Milligan received points from their men's outdoor track & field (48.00), women's outdoor track & field (43.00) and women's golf (42.00) squads in the spring season. With 210.50 points from the fall, along with 285.75 added in the winter, the Buffaloes tacked on 122.25 in the spring and wound up with 765.25 total points, which outpaced their 2023-24 record season's score of 743.50 points.

Men's outdoor track & field placed in a tie for 25th at the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Asheville, N.C.. The trip was highlighted by Luis Peralta's school-record showing in his 800m championship, the first outdoor title on his two-year career with Milligan.

Women's outdoor track & field ended up 30th at nationals, as Ellen-Mary Kearney was the NAIA runner-up in the 3000m Steeplechase for the squad, and was also an All-American in the 800m.

The Buffs' women's golf program crafted a 16th-place showing at the NAIA Women's Golf National Championships in Ypsilanti, Mich. That team effort helped them snatch 42 points for the department's standing.

A total of six Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) institutions made the top 100 at the NAIA level, while Milligan was the highest finisher amongst conference departments. Montreat (51st), Tennessee Wesleyan (62nd), Reinhardt (86th), Truett McConnell (88th) and Pikeville (97th) were the five other AAC institutions to make the top 100 in the final standings.

CLICK HERE to view the full final standings.